


Unseen Future

by Indig0



Series: DBH Rare Pairs Weeks [4]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, I thought I'd lost you, Lucy's very fatalistic, North's blunt love, Serious Injuries, Simon is Dead, building a new future, some sad reminders of Simon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-01
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-10-20 16:51:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17626010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Indig0/pseuds/Indig0
Summary: It hit North that she’d never seen Lucy out of the hold of Jericho.  She’d thought it was due to her condition, since she’d never expressed fear openly, but maybe there was something more psychological behind it.  Social, even.  North hadn’t even seen her talking with anyone outside of a cryptic advice session now and then.“…We’ll see what’s out there.  It’ll be nice to have company.”(Based on the prompts "Future" and "I thought I'd lost you" for DBH Rare Pairs Week)





	Unseen Future

In the cacophony of bullets and pounding footsteps on metal and shouting surrounded the androids fleeing Jericho. Connor had just deviated, and was racing to set off the bomb deep in the hold. Josh was down there somewhere, guiding stragglers out. Markus and North ran through the upper decks, urging the others to hurry, incapacitating the invaders when they could, ducking to hide when they couldn’t. Hoping all the androids would get out. Before long though, they had to accept that they couldn’t save everyone.

They both saw Lucy collapse, but at that point they had to run, they had to get out, or they’d fall too. The loss hurt, though. Each loss hurt. All they could do was try not to think about it.

When the revolution was over and the military had been ordered to stand down, there was no celebration. The androids huddled together in exhausted relief and took stock of who had made it through the night. No one mentioned Simon, who hadn’t lived to see the demonstration. He would have been proud though, they all privately thought.

When the injured androids had been stabilized (or in a few cases, laid to rest), those who were able returned to the damaged ship. Jericho was sinking slowly, but parts of the ship were still accessible. They split up to search for survivors, calling out verbally and through their neural connection.

There weren’t many. They all knew that would be the case.

North froze in the middle of moving a heap of twisted metal. In the silence, she heard a faint scratching from below.

“Can you hear me?”

The scratching continued.

“Hold on, I’ll get you out!” She redoubled her efforts, shoving the heavy bits aside. “Stay with me. I’m coming.” She wasn’t getting any transmission, and the farther she got through the debris, the more she was filled with dread.

At last, she got close to the floor. North pulled aside a bent sheet of metal to reveal some thick cables. She could see fingers now, twitching, scratching softly against the floor.

“Shit. I see you. Hold on.” She managed to move a few more things, then caught her breath. Lucy. A metal beam had fallen on her neck, crushing her vocal biocomponent. One arm was twisted at an unnatural angle under the beam. A heavy crate was still on top of the rest of her body. North quickly knelt and cupped Lucy’s face. The KL900’s eyes flickered, her lips trembled.

_KL900: North._

_WR400: I’ll get you out of here, just hold on._

_KL900: The ship’s almost sunk. I won’t be able to move. I can’t see, hear, or speak. You won’t have time._

_WR400: Then shut up and let me work._

North pulled away and set to her task. She was able to pull the beam off carefully without doing any further damage to Lucy’s throat or arm, but the crate was too heavy.

_WR400: I need help lifting. Transmitting location. Hurry._

In the meantime she knelt again to touch Lucy’s face.

_WR400: We won. The humans backed down, the president’s acknowledging us as people. We’ve got a future._

_KL900: I knew you would. You’ve accomplished so much. It’s just the beginning._

_WR400: Don’t talk like you won’t be there. You’re still alive. You’re going to make it._

_KL900: North, you need to survive. I’ve given all I can, you’re all more than capable without me._

_WR400: That’s honestly the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard out of you. Listen to me: I thought we’d – I thought I’d lost you. I’m not going to lose you again. You’ve given everything to everyone around you, every time someone new showed up. You didn’t have to. But things are different now. Now we’re going to get out of here, and we’re going to get you repaired._

_KL900: I’ve lived two full lives already helping those who needed me, that’s more than anyone can ask for._

_WR400: Well guess what. You’ve got a third coming, and it’s gonna be good._

Then Markus was there, and Josh, and a few others. They managed to lift the crate together, and when they threw it a short distance away, it splashed into the rising water. The boat shifted.

“We have to go,” North commanded, and cautiously picked Lucy up. She was incredibly light, but Markus hovered nearby to hold her head in position, to avoid further damage. Carefully as they could, they hurried out of their sinking refuge one last time.

 

 

Of the original three of them, it had always been Simon who would most often choose to stay with the damaged deviants. When he’d made sure they’d gotten all the help Jericho could offer, he would sit with them, listen to anything they had to say, talk softly with them, or just sit in silence so they didn’t have to be alone. North had never told him, but she’d admired him for being able to do that. He’d often seemed passive, but he had always paid attention to individuals, to those who had no one else. He’d done that for her when she’d first arrived, flighty and jumping at every shadow, afraid to get too close to anyone. She hadn’t wanted to tell him anything about herself, so he’d just sat across the room and quietly organized biocomponents, or searched for news of deviancy, or sometimes scratched RA9 into the walls. And it took a long time, but eventually she’d started to talk to him.

He had been good at that. North wasn’t used to giving that kind of comfort, but she thought of her friend, and she tried.

It was disconcerting to see Lucy so silent and disoriented. She had always been quiet, but she’d moved and spoken with a sureness that left no room for doubt. North had asked her a couple of questions, and only received a feeling of confusion and agitation in return.

“I should have died there,” Lucy finally rasped, when her voice box was repaired. “I shouldn’t be here. I… don’t know what to do. I can’t see the way forward.”

North frowned darkly. “That’s just how life is.” That sounded far harsher than she’d intended. “We have to find our own way in the world.”

Lucy went silent again, staring straight ahead. North was intensely uncomfortable, so she gave her a brief recap of the news over the past few days. It was all good, though she felt like nothing had really been done and they’d be stuck in legal limbo forever.

“So now we’re in an abandoned apartment complex,” North mentioned, glancing out the window. “Pretty small units, but it’s a big complex, and it’s plenty for right now. Those who didn’t want to stay have move elsewhere in the city. Or left.”

“Will you stay here?” Lucy asked distantly.

“I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

A vague smile flitted across the android’s face. “You could go anywhere.”

“I think I’d rather stay. All the people who matter to me are here, and I know the city. I fought for it. I’m not going to leave.” North paused briefly. “What about you?”

“I’m not meant to be alive.”

“Shut up,” North snapped. “You can be wrong, get used to it. You already are. You’re here, you’re alive, you’re being repaired. You’ll be able to go anywhere in a week or two. Fuck!”

The silence stretched between them, and North flinched as soon as she shut her mouth. That was too harsh.

“There’s a small island in Lake Superior,” Lucy murmured after a while, and North realized she was smiling a little. “Depending on the amount of fog, it may appear to be closer or farther away than it is. It may appear to be one island or three. A patient told me about it years ago, and I thought it sounded interesting. Michipicoten Island. I think… I’d like to go there some day. But I agree with you, those I care for are in Detroit. This is my home.”

“Oh,” North said softly. There was another long silence, though it was a little more comfortable.

“I’m sorry if I seem fatalistic. This is… new to me. Strange.”

“I would think so.”

“I… spent my entire deviant life advising others, showing them the way. It was who I was, as much as what I did.”

North nodded. “…A lot of us change when we deviate. I guess… you could do that any time, really. Whenever you want. No one’s stopping you.”

Lucy turned to face her. North had never been quite sure how much she could see with her shining eyes, but she seemed to be staring right at North. “That’s very hopeful.”

“When you’re up to it… we should go out some time,” North said, staring back at those mesmerizing eyes. “…I mean just… just outside. To the lake, maybe. Walking around. Seeing the world again.” She put her hand on the narrow bed.

Lucy glanced down, and the smile the curled onto her lips was subdued, but held a subtle element of sheer delight. “I’d like that,” she murmured, and her hand brushed North’s a bit. “Thank you. For… inviting me.”

“Sure, it’ll be good.” It hit North that she’d never seen Lucy out of the hold of Jericho. She’d thought it was due to her condition, since she’d never expressed fear openly, but maybe there was something more psychological behind it. Social, even. North hadn’t even seen her talking with anyone outside of a cryptic advice session now and then. “…We’ll see what’s out there. It’ll be nice to have company.”

Lucy smiled, warm and shy. “It will,” she agreed softly.

**Author's Note:**

> These two could be really good for each other...


End file.
